Woman guilty of murdering millionaire for his fortune

A woman has been found guilty of murdering her millionaire landlord in order to inherit part of his £3.5m estate.

Anthony Sootheran, 59, relied on care from Lynda Rickard who forged his will before killing him by depriving him of food and medical help.

The "recluse" died at his farm near South Newington, Oxfordshire, in 2014.

Rickard's husband Wayne, 66, was cleared of murder but found guilty of allowing or causing the death.

Three of Mrs Rickard's friends were also found guilty of fraudulently signing forged wills. Sentencing will take place at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday.

The Rickards, from Banbury, were Mr Sootheran's live-in tenants.

During the trial, the jury heard Mrs Rickard, 62, "ruthlessly exploited" Mr Sootheran and his mother, Joy Sootheran, who died in 2012.

She forged their wills and used tens of thousands of pounds of their money to satisfy her "brazen greed".

But half of Ms Sootheran's £1.5m fortune was stopped from going to Mrs Rickard after people "smelt a rat".

Mrs Rickard then "isolated and controlled" her landlord while her husband failed to intervene.

During the trial, consultant geriatrician Dr Peter Kroker said the millionaire lost a third of his body weight - 26kg (four stone) - in the last 15 months of his life.

He said he would have been reliant on other people after a fall in February 2014, but he had not eaten for at least 34 hours before his death.

He was found dead by a visiting doctor on 18 March 2014 at High Havens Farm, where he lived with the Rickards.

A combination of malnutrition and a deep-seated pressure sore on Mr Sootheran's back led to a fatal lung infection, the court was told.

Mr Sootheran was described as a "popular" but "complex" man who suffered from episodes of poor mental health.

Unable to cope with the birth of his daughter in 1988, he left the farm - where he lived with his family - for two weeks. Soon afterwards he moved out when the marriage broke down.

In 2008, he moved back into the farm along with his mother Joy to live with the Rickards, who had been there as tenants since 2006.

His forged will gave Mrs Rickard a third of the estate, which included the farm.

Robbie Weber, senior crown prosecutor, said: "Lynda Rickard is an inherently dishonest person. Cruel and ruthless to the extent which I've barely seen in my professional career.

"Had Anthony received medical attention in the week before his death, he would have survived.

"However, getting Anthony help was the last thing on Lynda Rickard's mind. She needed him to die in order to benefit from his fortune.

"This is a landmark case. This is the first time in 100 years that the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised an offence of murder by deliberate starvation, and in this case for financial gain, and therefore we hope that will set a precedent for future consideration of such cases."

The Rickards were also found guilty of fraudulently using Ms Sootheran's money to buy a Mitsubishi Shogun car.

Three of Mrs Rickard's friends - Michael Dunkley, 49, from Banbury, Denise Neal, 41, of Lower Tysoe, Warwickshire, and Shanda Robinson, 51, from Banbury - were all found guilty of fraudulently signing forged wills.

Mr Rickard was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice by attempting to pass off a will as genuine, while Robinson was convicted of conspiring to do the same.

Another friend, June Alsford, 78, from Aynho, Northamptonshire, admitted fraud.